Best air rifle for young child

Two possible suggestions targeted towards the beginner shooter / child shooter market: Gamo Delta Youth and Ruger had one called the Explorer I think. Both are fairly inexpensive and good starter pellet rifles that can be used to introduce a child into the airgun shooting sports.
 
whatever you get, make sure it fits well and is not too heavy.

This is my daughter when she was 11 with her old Diana model 23



 
bacardi said:
He is 11 with skinny build. Red Ryder looks fun and not expensive. Maybe I will see what others in the club are using
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Yeah, that is a pretty good way to gauge what is going on there!

In reality, if your guy shows up with a BB Gun, and the others are packing Olympic Grade match guns, he ain't gonna have much fun, or be interested. But if he shows up with a top of the line Target Match gun, and he's the only one there with similar kit, same thing, not that much fun!

A look in to what is actually going on at the Junior Level, locally, is a great place to start, IMO! No point in over, or under, buying, as far as equipment goes.
 
Debating whether I should get Crossman Optimus or Weihrauch HW50S? Which one is better for the young one to start with without worrying to upgrade in the near future yet
 
bacardi said:
Thanks for sharing:)
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You are welcome!

My daughter is 16 now and unfortunately not interested in anything archery and pellet gun related anymore but we had a lot of good times together.
I love seeing the smiles on the kids faces when shooting pellet guns during our weekly family fun nights at he club every summer.
 
They may not be looking at ISSF Air Rifle either. It is an amazing sport but crazy expensive for all the gear and availability of gear in Canada is a major issue (especially if you are left handed!)
 
bacardi said:
Debating whether I should get Crossman Optimus or Weihrauch HW50S? Which one is better for the young one to start with without worrying to upgrade in the near future yet
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The HW is better over all. Crosman Optimus is just a cheap chinese design that Crosman over uses.
 
OkayShooter said:
The HW is better over all. Crosman Optimus is just a cheap chinese design that Crosman over uses.
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The HW30S is a much better choice than the HW50S. The length of pull on the 30 is a fair bit shorter. I bought a HW30S from the Canadian airgun forum store. Can't beat the price $325 for a 30 and $375 for the 50 I believe tax was included in those prices. One of the cheapest spots I've found for pellets as well.
The 30 was a great size for my girlfriend and her daughters. I bought a Diana 280 around the same time. The HW30S is more compact lighter and much smoother, it's a real joy to shoot.
 
grauhanen said:
The HW 30S is not very big. It's an excellent rifle, especially for new and younger shooters (not bad for older ones, too). It's a yardstick plus 2.7" in length (38.7"). The barel is 15.5" and the LOP is 14". (By comparison, the HW 50 LOP is 14.5".) It has the very good Rekord trigger. It weighs in at 2.5kg or 5.5 pounds.
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The HW30 is a fantastic rifle. It was my main air rifle for over 40 years... I am into PCP now but if I were to go back I would buy another HW30.
 
Melaniekers said:
They may not be looking at ISSF Air Rifle either. It is an amazing sport but crazy expensive for all the gear and availability of gear in Canada is a major issue (especially if you are left handed!)
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Expensive, yes.
- Crazy expensive? Depends how you look at it.

Compared to a kid who's into track and field... Yes, 10M air rifle/pistol can be expensive.

But compared to many other sports, it's relatively inexpensive. There are not that many sports where you can buy 1x piece of equipment (for $2k or $3k) and the athlete will be able to use the exact some piece of gear from the regional/provincial/national/olympic and still be competitive.
 
NovaNewfie said:
The HW30S is a much better choice than the HW50S. The length of pull on the 30 is a fair bit shorter. I bought a HW30S from the Canadian airgun forum store. Can't beat the price $325 for a 30 and $375 for the 50 I believe tax was included in those prices. One of the cheapest spots I've found for pellets as well.
The 30 was a great size for my girlfriend and her daughters. I bought a Diana 280 around the same time. The HW30S is more compact lighter and much smoother, it's a real joy to shoot.
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I'm not much of an airgunner anymore. But I would pick any HW over a crosman break barrel. Crosmans are over priced junk. It's the same action, same crappy trigger, just change a barrel and stock and call it a new gun.

At least with HW there is quality.
 
guntech said:
The HW30 is a fantastic rifle. It was my main air rifle for over 40 years... I am into PCP now but if I were to go back I would buy another HW30.
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Yeah. I think the HW50S, is like a lot of the Euro guns, really not designed around kids. The 30 is a bit more compact, though may still be a stretch for a youg fella to handle, esp., the cocking forces required. If you find one of the Old-School Cigar/Magazine Stores, or luck in to a Book Store that carries some import magazines, keep your eyes out for any of the Brit Airgun Magazines. Aside from that they are actually aimed at pretty much the main market there, which is adults, looking for decent quality, mainly, it is eye opening, to see the variety of air guns that are available

But I think the best idea is to research and to stick with a known AIRGUN Brand, that has a history of quality, and that will go MILES towards making the experience enjoyable, instead of frustrating. I would stay away from airguns that carry Firearm Brand Names, as they have bugger all to do with the firearm brand, beside licensing the name. Unless you know up front, what to expect, from a (most likely Chinese) import air arm.

Diana made a LOT of really nice, kids size, and decent quality rifles over the years. Shop used, buy a known name and model, and be happier at the end!
 
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